Upside Down (Off the Map, #1)

by Lia Riley

[Leah]

When I spotted Upside Down on Netgalley, I was torn. I've got lots of books to read. LOTS, LOTS, LOTS. So I've got to be really choosy about what I decide to download and review, because I've already got books to choose from. But Upside Down interested me and it's been a while since I've read New Adult novel, so I decided to take the plunge, especially with the added extra of Talia's OCD. I very much enjoy novels that deal with mental health issues, and OCD is not something I've ever read about before, and I was interested to see how Lia Riley tackled it, and whether the novel would rank among my faves amongst the very good New Adult genre.

Upside Down is an interesting read. It starts really, really well, and the chemistry between Bran and Talia is bubbling away nicely, and we're going along, and they're bantering with each other, and it's cool... And then they make out and do stuff, and it all just seemed to happen so fast. My main issue with the novel is that it gave me whiplash. There I was enjoying the tug of war between Talia and Bran, and their connection is ace, and suddenly they're in bed together .Then you flip a page, and the ex is on the scene making a nuisance of herself and Talia can't handle that and it just sort of repeats the same hot/cold cycle throughout the novel. It drove me nuts. I hate when characters are so hot/cold, they're so indecisive, they can't make up their minds and instead of Bran being cute and awesome, he came across as a bit of a jerk. He totally screws with Talia's head on numerous occassions, and it just got a little tiring after a while. I wanted her to just let him get on with his life, because he was so down on her.

I wished the novel had focused on Talia's OCD more. It's mentioned, frequently, and there are moments where we see it in action (like when Talia uses the radio in Bran's car, she presses all the buttons before the button she needs) but it was sporadic at best. I didn't really feel the obsession that Talia mentions frequently. Was that because she was away from her home, and in Australia? I kinda figured Bran's actions would have had her OCD going mad - but, no. It just needed a little bit more time spent developing that part of the story. Considering what comes out near the end of the novel, it's hard to believe it's the same Talia. It just felt a bit like a missed opportunity to get into the head of someone a bit different, someone I've never read about before.

I wanted to love Upside Down and add it to my list of New Adult favourites, but it was too indecisive and Bran wasn't some kind of hot hero (he was during his and Talia's first interaction, in a costume) but after that he just kept blowing hot and cold and that doesn't really work for me (though it seemed to work on Talia, so what do I know?). The ending was just a mish-mash of things that I normally find in a Chick Lit novel and don't usually expect in a New Adult novel - Bran's holding a lot of secrets safe, that come out as the novel wears on, and when one of his secrets comes back, I was just like *EYEROLL* because sometimes it's just not necessary, and sometimes authors do it to just annoy me I'm sure, and I didn't like this one, even worse when Bran admits why his secret came back, and Talia just goes "I'M SO SORRY". I just wish the novel had kept it's early promise as those first few meetings between Bran and Talia were ace, especially the costume one, when they were both so snarky, but the hot/cold didn't really work for me. I'm an all-in kinda girl.

This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read